


Detective Rolando and the Crown Conspiracy: Prologue

by Kikaromi



Series: Detective Rolando [1]
Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Detective/Thief AU, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27458266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kikaromi/pseuds/Kikaromi
Summary: Detective Leia/Kresnik Family Thieves AU.  Junior Detective Leia Rolando, while hunting for her breakout story, gets more than she could've imagined when she decides to follow the semi-famous gentleman thief known as Crown. The hunt is on as she resolves to get to the bottom of a possible conspiracy with him at its center.
Relationships: Leia Rolando & Ludger Will Kresnik
Series: Detective Rolando [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2005669
Comments: 5
Kudos: 6





	1. Her Newest Story

“C’mon Jude, pick up...” Leia desperately dialed Jude’s number again, hoping in vain _this_ would be the call he finally picked up. She had to know Jude was alright-- he wouldn’t be caught in a disaster if she hadn’t goaded him into boarding the Striborg. He’d been wary when Oscore went ahead with their plans in spite of Crown sending a calling card to steal the Striborg, but Leia begged him the whole week before the event to go in the off-chance Jude met Crown onsite. Jude eventually caved and promised he’d keep an eye out. 

All seemed well the day of the event: the train arrived on time, Jude gave her a call before he boarded to express his surprise seeing bystanders trying to talk the station employees into letting them board the Striborg _because_ Crown sent a calling card, everything went smoothly so far. Come a few hours later however, disaster struck the Oscore Ceremonial Event. 

Spirius broke a story across every news stations Exodus had taken control of the Striborg and crashed it into the Oscore Plant. Disaster relief were searching the wreckage for survivors, though the company was already certain who orchestrated this whole scheme: the gentleman thief Crown. Leia’s shock almost overpowered her worries, yet that didn’t last long when Jude failed to pick up his phone several times. 

She had faith Jude found a way to get off safely--his intellect and quick-thinking saved the day more times than Leia could count--but still... Leia’s concern remained strong. 

Her phone was going off! Leia picked up in seconds, “Jude, is that you?!” She didn’t bother checking the caller ID before throwing out her question.

“Yes, it’s me.” Thank the Great Spirits, it was Jude! Finally! “I saw all your missed calls. Sorry if I worried you-- I would’ve picked up sooner, but we weren’t safe yet on the road.” 

“You don’t have to apologize! I just couldn’t stop worrying because I set you up to get on in the first place, you know?” 

“Don’t worry, I’m fine. I managed to get off before the train crashed.” Jude assured her. “But speaking of that, remember the guy you wanted me to look out for? I actually met him.”

“Wait, you _**met** _Crown?!” Leia temporarily forgot all about the train crash to immediately dig for answers, “Did you manage to talk to him face-to-face? What was he like? How did he look? Did he happen to tell you why he was there, or did he avoid letting you ask him anything? Tell me everything in painful detail!” 

“I can’t answer twenty questions at once, Leia.” Jude’s light scolding reminded her to take a second to take her energy levels down from their mountainous peak. Once he could tell Leia leveled out, Jude continued, “He looked about Alvin’s age and height with a moderately deep voice. I can’t tell you much about his face because he wore a mask, but he did have blond hair and blue eyes. I met him when he asked for my help in reaching the front car to pull the emergency brakes.” 

“Did you manage to get to the front car at all?” 

“We did, but all the controls were jammed by the time we got there. We couldn’t fix them either, so we both jumped off the train before it crashed. Crown left once we reached Duval on foot.” Figures Crown wouldn’t stick around longer than he felt he needed to be. But Jude’s account of his encounter with him seemed... off in context with the news.

If Crown really was the conspirator behind the train hijacking, why would he betray his own plans to halt the crash? And say Crown _was_ the culprit-- why would he not have a concrete getaway already lined up for an operation he’d announced a week in advance? His actions sounded like a man making solutions on the fly rather than going through the motions. Leia’s detective nose caught whiff of a smelly conspiracy... 

“This might be a bit sudden, but do you think Crown caused the crash? Every news outlet so far’s been saying the hijacking was a joint effort between him and Exodus.” For the sake of solving this conundrum, Leia wanted to hear Jude’s opinion as a first-hand witness. 

“I don’t think Crown’s responsible. He was making a conscious effort to avoid using lethal force against the Exodus members while trying to protect me-- I can’t see someone like him wanting to murder innocent people.” 

And that was more than enough for Leia to consider herself on Crown’s side; if Jude saw good in someone, she had reason enough to wholeheartedly believe in their character. Looked like Detective Rolando had a new story to chase: the truth behind who _really_ caused the Striborg ceremonial train crash and their reasons for framing Crown! 

First order of business, field research. She personally knew just bits and pieces about the (in?)famous thief from overhearing random conversations and snooping through old reports at the Daily Trigleph’s office building; that had to be fixed before she could properly delve into his motives. The best starting point would be gathering a diversity of opinions from as wide a demographic as possible. Any city in Rieze Maxia wouldn’t give her enough Elympion perspective, but she couldn’t go _too_ deep into Elympios lest she get the opposite extreme. 

That left one place, Marksburg. None of the reports mentioned the stations locking down for safety reasons, so there had to be a train still running there she could catch-- 

“You still there, Leia?” Leia's shock had her scrambling to catch her GHS before it hit the ground. She was so busy working through her plan it slipped her mind she still had Jude sitting on the line. 

“O-Oh, yes I’m still here! I was just thinking some things over.” She laughed off her blunder, “And I've decided: I’m going to bust the _real_ culprit of the Striborg Train Incident! If Crown’s innocent or guilty, Ace Detective Leia Rolando’ll reveal the truth in her greatest story yet!!” 

“I hope you’re not shouting all this out in public...” Jude’s worry was, unfortunately, a reality. Her rather loud bravado attracted a number of odd looks straight to her. In her own defense, she just couldn’t help raising her voice when her passion came out! Sitting here wasn’t doing her any more favors, so she shrugged off the blunder and headed to the station to enact phase one. 

“Well I need to get working on this story pronto, so I gotta hang up. Just remember that if you’re ever in trouble, I’m a single phone call away!” 

“Likewise. Even if it looks like I’m swamped with work, I’m never too busy to help you.” Typical Jude, always insisting he take on his friend’s burdens in spite of the grievances it’d personally cause him. Leia appreciated the sentiment, but she’d rather try saving a hopeless endeavor herself than ask Jude to bail her out. Any problem she’d face was small potatoes compared to undertaking an entire country’s energy crisis. 

“I won’t forget! Have a safe trip home, Jude!” Leia hung up her phone just in time for her to walk into the station. She spotted a group walking off another train, so her plan was ready for takeoff! She scanned her GHS at the ticket counter, boarded her train, and used her wait time to plan out her interviewer questions. 

But of course, her assignment could never be so easy. 

The first person she pulled aside (a Rieze Maxian man from the R.M. side of the city) and asked what they knew about Crown told her, _“He’s the guy who crashed the train into Oscore”_ ; not very informative, but it established a baseline the news had spread across country lines. Then she found a young Elympion woman from the opposite side who said, _“He’s the thief who said he’d steal a train and crashed it into Oscore, right?”_. 0/2 for new information, not enough to lose courage though. And she grabbed another person, and another, eventually bringing her total to 34 in counting. All of whom told her the same exact thing just with different ways of wording it. 

Leia had to take a seat on the closest bench to de-stress once she could feel her enthusiasm beginning to crack. She was _so_ sure there’d be at least one person who followed Crown’s activity farther back than the Striborg-- Crown’s activity dated back to over a decade ago based on the stray police reports she’d read at the office. There had to be someone--another detective, a reporter, a long-time fan even--out here who knew something useful! 

Maybe her line of questions were the problem...? But if that were the case, what exactly were the right questions? And say she _did_ ask the right questions, would that really change anything? All this uncertainly was bumming her out. Stewing here clearly wouldn’t do her any good. 

In a moment like this, what she needed was a good pick-me-up! Get the good vibes back in, start the search over in a good head space. A moment like this called for a woman’s greatest weapon in the face of life’s hardships: sweets. Leia flipped open her GHS and tried searching for the nearest sweet shop. 

“Um... Excuse me?” Leia looked up from her phone and saw a somewhat nervous-looking older man standing in front of her. “Were you... asking about Crown earlier?” 

Did the man follow her back here after he saw her asking questions on the street? A bit odd, though she certainly wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth; she wouldn’t pass a willing interviewee! “Yes, I was! Do you know anything about Crown prior to the Striborg Incident?” 

“I-I do! I’m actually... a long time fan of Crown...” The older man’s eyes fell off her as his pale face burned a bright red. 

The best news Leia’d heard all day. Persistence paid off! “That’s perfect! Tell me everything you know!” Pen and notepad in hand, she eagerly waited for the man to go on. “Oh, but first, could I ask your name so I can properly credit you?” 

“My name’s Ludger. It’s nice to meet you, Leia if I heard right?” Ludger visibly relaxed once they got a first-name basis. “Anyway, I first remember hearing about Crown when I started 1st grade. He’d been active before that, but he didn’t start making headlines until he busted an illegal weapon smuggling ring...” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who decided to revisit this AU again? We retracted way, way back to near the beginning of the AU, featuring out co-protagonist, Leia. Not sure if I'll structure this AU like a proper fic or not later, but for now, we got our main duo together and ready for action! 
> 
> Hope this AU piques some interest as this AU's fleshed out in my head and the motivation to keep it going's riding smooth.


	2. The Kresnik Brothers

“Crown went after an illegal weapons smuggling ring? All by himself!?” Leia asked. 

“He did! There was a growing power struggle between some gangs in Duval, and Braht was apparently looking to make a profit from this by selling off weapons they managed to steal from a military compound. Crown heard about it and sent Braht a calling card through one of their affiliates saying he’d steal their freedom tomorrow night.”

Dang, Crown either had guts or a lack of self-preservation to call out a well-known crime group armed with military-grade weapons. She respected the hustle—who knows what kind of chaos would’ve overtaken the streets if he’d waited for the law to finally catch up—but some battles weren’t always good to pick. Though given this was a past event, maybe his reckless pick had a logic back those years ago.

“What was Braht’s response? Did they change plans or did they brush him off?” Leia asked after jotting down some quick notes.

“Braht didn’t take the warning seriously. They’d evaded the police till then, so why would a random thief be a threat? Unfortunately for them that’d be their final mistake.” Ludger paused for suspense, getting more into retelling this story the longer he went on, “Nobody knows how Crown did it, but the police got an anonymous tip the next morning to search a warehouse in Duval. The police then found both the group members tied up _and_ their weapons supply waiting to be confiscated. Suffice to say, this heist’s when both I and many other people knew Crown was someone worth their attention.”

What a feat to kick start your career on! Too bad all his fame was now working against him after the train crash… “I can see why you’re a big fan—he sounds more like a super hero than a thief.” Leia complimented Ludger’s choice in personal heroes nonetheless. “So, what can you tell me about Crown’s methods? Like… what kind of loadout does he typically use when he’s out on a heist?”

If Ludger didn’t look excited before, he was beginning to rival Leia’s own intensity, “That’s actually another cool thing about Crown: most of everything he uses on the job were tools he created for himself. There’s his stun cane, his grappling hook gun, and also the rock sal—“

“Wait, did you say _grappling hook gun_?” Leia interjected.“Like the ones you’d read about in spy novels or see on TV dramas?” 

“Yep! I’ve got a replica of it at home, so I can say first-hand it’s a lot of fun to use. It’s probably my favorite of Crown’s tools, although the others are all close seconds.” 

Ludger had workingreplica toolsat his house?! The guy certainly wasn’t kidding when he called himself a long-time fan—he’d already walked the extra miles to emulate his idol. But as impressive as his dedication was, Leia’s mind couldn’t focus on the interview anymore in favor of the image of holding Ludger’s grappling hook in her hands. 

Imagine firing a sturdy metal hook at top speeds, latching onto a rooftop or cliffside, and then hitting a button to rappel yourself up just in the blink of an eye. As an aerial combat aficionado, anything that could help someone defy convention as a ground dweller and take to the skies immediately fascinated her. Plus as a detective, seeing and practicing with the kind of tools her fictional opponents sounded equally amazing. 

Damn it, now that she couldn’t stop thinking about it, Leia _had_ to try these tools out! 

“Sorry if this is a bit out-of-nowhere, but would you mind giving me an in-person demo of your replica tools? You can tell a lot about someone’s character by the tools they use, and I wanna get a 100% accurate sense of Crown as a person!” Although not the real reason, Leia’s excuse did come from some modicum of truth.

The tools Crown chose during his hits could tell her a lot about his priorities in a fight: does he aim for swift stealth kills using long-range rifles, or does he prefer close encounters and uses items to help mask his presence until he’s in his preferred range? Until she saw those tools-first hand, all she could do is guess. This was totally a chance to learn hands-on and not goof off in the slightest!

“I don’t mind at all. I keep my stuff at home though, so you’d have to come over for a bit. I’d get in trouble bringing any of my tools on a train and back...” Ludger’s catch was, though a bit disappointing, understandable. Crown _was_ still (wrongfully) suspected to be behind the Striborg crash. Anyone carrying objects similar to Crown had a guaranteed chance of getting stopped by station staff or the police. _‘Better safe than sorry’_ as a wise do-gooder nags her every phone call. 

“No worries, I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble for doing me a solid.” Leia assured him. “Would it be okay if we went now? Or did you still have something to do in Marksburg?” 

“No, we can leave now. I just finished grocery shopping when I saw you street interviewing people.”

Awesome, they’d delay no further! “Great, then let’s go!” Leia confidently sprinted to the train station, leaving a frazzled Ludger running after her.

“W-Wait, I didn’t even say _where_ I lived yet—!” Ludger tried to call after his overeager companion.

* * *

Their trip to Ludger’s apartment in Trigleph wasn’t anything special save for an unrelated revelation: Ludger and Balan were actually neighbors living in the complexes right next to each other. She’d have to ask Balan next time she saw him if he knew a “Ludger”. Ludger’s landlady said hello to Ludger as they walked into the building, the man waving back with a smile. One elevator ride to the 3rd floor and three doors down, they were finally there.

“Welcome home, Ludger.” A man older than Ludger greeted them once the door slid open. “And who’s the young lady with you? Did you make a friend while you were out?”

“S-Something like that.” Ludger answered bashfully. “I’ll get my stuff from my room. You can talk with Nii-san in the meantime. Don’t worry, he’s very nice!” Not mincing any words, Ludger left her side to the room closest to the kitchen. Once he was out of sight, Leia got a good look of Ludger’s brother.

If Ludger hadn’t introduced the man in front of her as his brother, Leia honestly wouldn’t have guessed it on her own; physically the two looked nothing alike. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a tan skin tone set him starkly apart from Ludger’s grey hair, green eyes, and pale skin. If she had to guess his age, she’d put him near Alvin’s range, give-or-take a few years… just as Jude described during their phone call.

Once she mentally stepped back, Leia recognized the absurdity of assuming the person she’d met who fit into her four limited criteria. Many men in Elympios could easily fit her description first of all, and secondly, what were the odds she’d meet the **one** person who’d put her on a direct course to then meet the man himself? Coincidence could only reach so in even the crazy world they lived in. Not to mention up until meeting Ludger earlier, her luck today was at a record low—Leia didn’t want to get her hopes reignited and burnt out a second time.

“I’m surprised Ludger had the courage to invite you over. He’s normally not this forward with even his close friends.” Ludger’s brother chuckled at his own off-hand observation as he directly addressed her, “My name’s Julius. Could I ask yours in return?”

The heavy thoughts on Leia’s mind exited the premises to let her usual peppiness do the talking, “I’m Leia Rolando, Rookie Detective of the Daily Trigleph! My investigation into the Striborg Train Incident requires I get as much information on Crown as possible, and your brother offered to help me with that. Getting a first-hand demo of Crown’s thieving tools felt like a good start.”

“I should’ve figured Crown was the reason.” Julius’ amused smirk reminded her of Jude’s face whenever he caught her doing something wacky. “Well as one who’s watched him since he was shorter than my knees, I can advocate you won’t find a more knowledgeable secondary source than my little brother. He’s been following Crown’s activities since Day 1, and he’d be happy to contribute anything to prove his hero’s innocent.”

“That reminds me! If I may, could I ask for your opinion on whether Crown is innocent or guilty of the train crash?”

“ _My_ opinion? How should I put it…?” Julius trailed off, his head leaning against his hand. “For Ludger’s sake, I want to believe Crown is innocent. Ludger looked absolutely crushed when we saw the news, and I’d hate to see my brother that upset again if it turned out Crown _was_ the villain everyone’s now convinced he is.”

When Julius put it that way, Leia’s heart went out to Ludger. His passion for the gentleman thief was crystal clear from their brief talk in Marksburg, so no doubt he’d take hearing his hero being blamed for the Striborg crashing into Oscore terribly. It’d be like hearing her parents had literal skeletons in the closet from when they were getting the Rolando Family Inn off the ground. She’d want to believe in her parent’s innocence no matter what anyone told her; luckily in the scenario at hand, that’s what she was here to do. She’d prove Crown was falsely accused, no matter what the general opinion said!

“You don’t have to just believe for much longer! My story’s going to be the key that proves Crown is innocent! I’m staking my entire career on getting to the bottom of this mystery, for _everyone_ that still believes in Crown!” Leia’s passion made her forget her indoor voice, declaring to the heavens themselves her determination. Luckily Julius took the shouting in stride and perked up a little himself.

“I’ll be looking forward to your story, Detective Rolando.” Hopefully Leia’s joy in hearing someone refer to her as a real detective wasn’t too obvious. As a rookie, her efforts weren’t recognized either at work or on the field yet, so to hear someone give her props… She’d hope right now would be the first time of many recognitions to come. “But in the meantime, if you’ve got questions about Crown’s tools, I’d be happy to answer. The replicas Ludger uses are ones I made for him after this one time he stuffed a fake grappling hook into a toy gun and—”

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear with an arsenal both in his hands and strapped to his entire body. “Alright, I think I grabbed everything! Let’s get going to Alest Highroad before it gets dark!”

Julius let his story’s abrupt ending lie for now, not wanting to hold up the fun. “We can save those questions for when you two come home, then. Just be sure not to break any windows on the way to the highroad for me, okay Ludger?”

Julius’ snide tease lit Ludger’s face up immediately. “S-Stop bringing that up, it happened **_one_** time!” He motioned for Leia to follow him back to the front door, but not before a last word, “Don’t expect any pasta margherita for dinner tonight.” And out he went without another look back.

Was there an in-joke Leia wasn’t privy to yet…? She’d like to ask, but she didn’t want to make Ludger any grumpier; maybe it’d be one of those additional questions for Julius when they came back.

“I guess we’re leaving right now. It was nice meeting you, Julius!” Leia bowed as she went to follow after Ludger.

“Oh, before you go, could you give this to Ludger?” Julius sat up from the table and hander her an Allium Orb. “Ludger’ll need one of these if you’re both going to be out on the Highroad. This one’s mine from work, but I won’t need it sitting here at home.”

Leia nodded and pocketed the Orb into her coat. “I’ll be sure to! I’m glad Ludger’s got someone like you looking out for him!” Julius awkwardly smiled at the sudden compliment, though Leia paid it no mind as she waved the man goodbye. “See you when we get back!”

“See you both then. Be sure to watch each other's backs on the Highroad!” Julius warned behind her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, another chapter to the prologue of this AU! At a certain story point this fic will split off into its own "main" post, but for now we're still here! I hope to see you around for both the next prologue chapters and the main fic itself!


End file.
